Sky High: Strange Villains From Another TV Show
by DR. COFFIN
Summary: Episode 9 of the TV Series. Royal Pain and Dr. Drakken are after the same thing, but they've got each other's henchmen! Meanwhile, Will comes up with a way to get at least a couple of the bad guys out of the way. FINALLY DONE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sky High, because if I did you'd be watching this instead of reading it. This episode's special guest is Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Drakken and a duo role for Kelly Vitz as both Magenta and Shego.

**Sky High: The Series**

**Episode 9**

**"Strange Villains from Another TV Show"**

The two figures ran into the alleyway, stopping only when they were sure no one had seen them. The wail of sirens as the police began combing the area was a clue they should keep moving, but they were not really worried about the normal law enforcement agencies, only the two they had just escaped from.

"This is ridiculous," said the older man who was wearing a dark blue coat and pants and black boots, belt and gloves. His hair was pulled back in a rather ratty pony tail, but aside from the obvious scar running under his left eye what really made him stand out was the fact his skin was baby blue in color.

"What is it with these super heroes anyway?" he continued to rant, "Why did they have to come snooping around like that? Why wasn't I clued in to their being around?"

The man's companion was a girl in her late teens with oriental features. Her long jet black hair swept down her back, matching the black of her costume that alternated with a bright green that matched her eyes.

"Oh," she said as she looked at the man in disbelief, "you mean aside from that huge billboard we passed coming into town that said "Welcome to Maxville…HOME OF THE COMMANDER AND JETSTREAM?!""

"Don't get snippy with me, Shego," said Dr. Drakken as he glared at his sidekick, "the fact remains you were supposed to take care of any interference, and you failed."

"Against a guy that can bench press the freaking Super Dome, yeah," said Shego. Though actually the most dangerous thing about the Commander was that he never shut up during the entire melee, and if Shego had wanted to listen to a muscle bound windbag she'd call her estranged older brother Hego. "And I didn't exactly see you having any better luck with Jetstream either."

"Well, she took me by surprise," said Dr. Drakken, "how was I to know she could fight like that?"

"I don't know…maybe from the way she threw your hired goons around like they were sacks of potatoes?"

"Enough," snarled Drakken, peering out of the alleyway to make sure no one was around, "we've got to get out of here and find a way back to the flying car before it's found. Without it we're stranded in this town and…"

"Come on guys," they heard someone yell, "I think they're down this way."

"Curses," Drakken squeaked more than snarled, "we've been found out!" Both Drakken and Shego darted behind a dumpster as they saw someone coming.

Into the alleyway came a bunch of teenagers; the first was a boy with tousled auburn hair and wearing red, white and blue clothes, followed by a red haired girl in green, another girl in purple and black, a smaller black boy wearing glasses and a bright orange sweater and finally a tall boy in white and yellow.

"I can't believe my parents almost caught Dr. Drakken," said the boy in the patriotic colors, "he's never come to Maxville before. I wonder what he was here for."

"Probably to steal someone else's invention," piped in the redhead, "I hear he steals other people's projects more than he builds his own."

"Yeah," said the kid with glasses, who was breathing a little hard trying to keep up with the others, "Mr. Medulla called him a disgrace to mad scientists…even the bad ones."

Dr. Drakken glared at Shego, who snorted trying to hold her laughter as she overheard what was being said.

"If I'm guessing right, this alley will lead us to the sight of the fight, and maybe we can see them," said patriot boy.

"If by "them" you mean us," said Dr. Drakken, stepping dramatically from behind the dumpster to block the kids, "then you guessed right. Or rather wrong…oh never mind!"

"Dude," said the tall blonde boy, "that's him! That's Dr. Drakken!"

"Ah," preened Drakken, "my reputation precedes me, I see. In any case you youngsters just took a definite wrong turn, and are now my hostages! Get them, Shego!"

Shego leaped up over the top of the dumpster, did a mid air somersault and landed in front of the auburn haired boy with her hands glowing green.

"Hold still little guy," she said, "this will only hurt…a long time."

She then slapped the boy across the face with her energy hand, sending him flying to slam into the alley wall.

"Will!" cried the green girl as she and the others found themselves caught between Shego and Drakken, who had pulled a strange looking ray gun from his coat.

"He'll be fine," sneered Shego, "nothing a little rest in the intensive care ward won't cure. Now …"

That was as far as Shego got before a shockwave traveling through the ground sent her flying up into the air. It was only her amazing agility that enabled her to tuck and roll to safely land on her feet, though she was still surprised.

"Actually," said Will, who was standing unharmed from where he had landed then struck the ground and created the shockwave to send Shego flying, "I'm fine right now."

"Oooo," purred Shego, "this just got VERY interesting."

"Quit messing around Shego," yelled Drakken, "we need to capture these kids to make sure we can get away safely.

"As for you," Drakken continued, turning his attention to Ethan and Magenta, "neither of you move. This may only be a simple stunulator ray, but the effects are most unpleasant. Kind of like having that tingly feeling when your arm or leg goes to sleep, only it's your entire body. Anyway…"

Drakken then noticed that both his intended victims had vanished. He looked around, but all he saw was a strange orange puddle on the ground, and what looked like some kind of rodent scurrying behind a trashcan.

"Where did they…oh, never mind." Drakken then turned his attention to the yellow and white boy, who was now glowing.

"Uh, stop where you are evil doer," said Zach, trying to think of what his super hero dad would say in a situation like this, "or I shall be forced to unleash my awesome power upon you."

"Oh really," sneered Drakken, "and what would that be?"

"Behold!" Zach raised his arms and began to really concentrate on his glow, then for added effect rolled his eyes into his head as he raised his hands and started trembling.

Drakken began to get nervous as the tall boy started shaking like some kind of explosion was building within him. For all his villainy Drakken was actually a major coward, and he started looking around for a place to hide.

"HERE…IT…COMES…" yelled Zach.

"NO! MERCY!" cried Drakken throwing his hands up as there was a deafening sound and the alleyway shook once more.

Just as Drakken had leveled his ray at Zach, Will was facing off with Shego.

"I've heard about you," said Will as he circled with her, "you used to be a super hero over in Go City until you went rogue just like Warr…like Barron Battle."

"What can I say," grinned Shego, "he was a great role model…until he got caught that is. I hear he's out now…maybe I'll look him up and pay my respects."

A chill went down Will's back at the thought of Shego teaming up with Warren's father. The man had already shown a penchant for attracting super villainesses to him, and Shego would make a great addition to his team.

"But let's talk about you," said Shego, trying to use her feminine wiles on Will, "you're very strong for such a young…though very cute…boy."

"Uh," said Will, finding himself getting caught up in the feline way Shego moved…in the way her black and green spandex fit her curves and lightly muscled physique in just the right way…how her lustrous black hair flew about…how her slightly tipped eyes were an amazing shade of green…

"WILL, SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Layla's voice broke the self-inflicted spell, and Will ducked just as Shego came flying at him with a martial arts kick. She hit the alley wall and bounced back to roll and land standing up with her hands giving off their ominous green glow.

"Okay red," said Shego glaring at Layla, "first I'm taking care of you, then your skinny boyfriend…"

That was as far as Shego got before she saw that Will had grabbed the loaded dumpster with one hand, his fingers sinking into the metal, and had raised it above his head.

"Uh-oh," said Shego as the dumpster came flying at her. She barely dodged it as it slammed down, creating the deafening sound and shaking of the ground that scared Drakken.

Drakken peeked one eye open to see what happened, and saw that he was still in one piece. Nothing had happened except that Zach stood there with a big grin on his face.

"Psych!"

"Why you little…" was all Drakken said before Ethan and Magenta, who had assumed their normal forms, came up behind the mad scientist and slammed an empty garbage can down over him, trapping him in it.

"We got him!" Ethan nearly screamed. "We got a famous super villain! Just the three of us!"

"WE RULE!" yelled Zach as he high-fived Ethan then kissed Magenta, who pretended like she didn't like it but actually did.

"Actually," Shego yelled, "I think this only ends round one!"

The three sidekicks turned to see that Shego had grabbed Layla and was holding her in front of her. One arm was around Layla's neck as the other glowing hand was dangerously close to her face.

"Nobody get any cute ideas," said Shego, "or little red here is going to get a nasty little facial."

Unnoticed by Shego, the few weeds in the alleyway had begun moving and growing at an alarming rate behind her. It wasn't until a bramble vine as thick as her own arm grabbed her free hand that Shego saw she was in trouble. She was forced to release Layla as even more weeds and vines started grabbing her, and her glowing hands began slicing through the plants as fast as they grew and attacked. But no matter how fast Shego fought off the plants, they kept coming from all directions and she knew she'd eventually get tired and captured, so she chose the alternative.

"Sorry Dr. D," she yelled to Drakken, "but it's every villain for themselves right now. I'll catch you later!" With that Shego broke free of the weeds and performed several cartwheels to get to the alley entrance and then sprinted off.

"I'll catch her!" Will said as he started to take off into the air after her.

"Will, wait," called Layla, "you can't go after her! What if somebody sees you? It's bad enough Drakken and Shego know about us, but at least nobody knows our names. Let's just get Drakken and call your parents to pick him up."

"Wait a minute," said Magenta, "if Will calls his folks won't they wonder what we were doing running around a crime scene and just happening to catch this weirdo?"

"That's right," said Ethan, "even though we caught Drakken we could still get in a lot of trouble for using our powers outside of school. Maybe we should just call the police and leave Drakken here for them to pick up."

"Yeah," said Will who, though floating several feet in the air, looked very down about not being able to tell his parents how they had captured a well known villain and he had fought off another. "You're right. I'll call the police on my cell phone, the rest of you take off and I'll meet you at my house."

Layla and the others headed out of the alley, making sure no one saw them as Will pulled out his phone and made the call. He'd stick around a few minutes until the police did show up to get Drakken, then he'd fly off without being spotted and meet the others at home. He really wished he could tell his dad about this adventure, as he knew how proud he would be. What sucked is that, while most super heroes have to keep their powers secret from their loved ones, his knew about his powers but he couldn't tell them he was already using them to fight evil. At least he couldn't tell them for another three and a half years.

So Will waited quietly, even when Dr. Drakken called out; "Hello…is there anyone still out there? It's a trifle bit cramped and smelly in here, and I'm ready to go to a nice jail cell now." When two officers entered the alley and found the villain, Will flew off as he planned, not knowing that, in the struggle, something had been left behind.

After Dr. Drakken had been hauled away, Shego returned to the alley to look around and possibly find clues about these super kids she had fought. She kept one eye on every plant in the alley that had returned to it's unchanged state, but then she spotted something lying in the dirt where the boy had hit the wall when the fight started.

It was a small plastic card with a picture of the boy on it, and it read "Sky High Student ID; Will T. Stronghold".

"Will Stronghold," Shego purred, "cool name…sounds familiar though." She then snapped her fingers, creating a spark of green energy. "Yeah…Stronghold like in Stronghold Realty. They've got their stupid signs all over this town. I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold know about little Willie's super powers. Well, only one way to find out…"

With that Shego took the card and slipped away from the alley, her mind already whirling as she started thinking of a plan to get her boss out of jail and use this super strong flying boy to do it.

* * *

"OUT!" 

"Huh?"

"You heard me you ridiculous buffoons! Get out! OUT!"

Neither Lash nor Speed could believe what they were hearing. Gwen was screaming at them at the top of her lungs, but they had no idea why.

"I have had it with you moronic slobs messing up my lair! Not even my cleaning drones can keep up with the hideous mess you've made! I want you both out of here!"

"Geez," muttered Lash, "you sound like my mom harping about making a mess."

"Well, she IS old enough," snickered Speed until he saw Gwen actually get madder than she already was.

"You…two…are…FIRED!!!!"

The two punks were now completely stunned by what they heard. They had been staying in Gwen's hidden lair ever since they had all gotten out of prison as neither was welcome in their parents' homes anymore, and now they were being thrown out.

"You can't do that," said Lash, "we've got nowhere else to go."

"That is most definitely NOT my problem," answered Gwen, "I have had it with stupid teenage boys…I'll recruit a gang of REAL villains…ALL girls!"

"Wow," said Speed, "I'd kind of like to see that too."

"Shut up and get out!"

* * *

And just like that, Lash and Speed were out on the street with nowhere to go. 

"What are we gonna do," whined Speed, "I'm hungry…and where are we gonna sleep?"

"We can STEAL money for food," said Lash as they passed by a big department store window showing the latest flat screen televisions, "we can even steal the food…eliminate the middle man kinda."

Lash then noticed the news bulletin on the televisions, and had an idea.

"Dude," he said as he grabbed Speed and pointed at the televisions, "look at that."

"What," said Speed, "we're gonna steal the tvs? I thought we were gonna steal money…or food."

"No stupid," said Lash, "look who's ON the tv…see?"

"Hey," said Speed, "it's that super villain from Middleton…Dr. Draco…Dracula…"

"Dr. Drakken," corrected Lash, "he just got caught and he's being held in the jail to be taken to the Maxville Prison for Super Villains. Unless…"

"Unless? Unless what?"

"Unless someone was to break him out before that happens…someone he'd be grateful to and maybe hire on as henchmen."

"Yeah," said Speed, "but who would do that?"

"WE WOULD STUPID!" Lash then looked around, realizing everyone in earshot could have heard him, but as this was the big city, people tended to ignore idiots standing and shouting on street corners.

"Look dude," said Lash, putting an arm around Speed's shoulder to draw him close so he could whisper to him, "if we bust Drakken out of jail, he can take us with him back to his turf and we'd be able to do what we want without worryin' about Stronghold's parents or any of the other heroes stoppin' us. We'd be workin' for a big time bad guy…and he's NOT a bossy girl."

"Yeah," said Speed, "that sounds cool. But there's just one problem."

"What?"

"Well, we're bustin' him out because he's a brain and we're muscle, right?"

"Yeah?"

"How are WE gonna plan a way to break him out?"

It was then Lash realized the total irony of the situation, but he wasn't going to let it stop him.

**To be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sky High: The Series**

**Episode 9**

**Strange Villains From Another TV Show**

**Part 2**

Josie Stronghold was having a quiet afternoon at home when the doorbell rang. She had already closed a major real estate deal that morning and was getting ready to throw a nice dinner in the oven, so her mind was elsewhere as she opened the door.

"Hi Mrs. Stronghold, is Will home?"

At the doorway stood a very beautiful oriental girl wearing a demure green dress that matched her eyes.

"Actually he is," said Josie, thinking that the girl somehow looked familiar, but not certain where she had seen her before, "are you one of his friends from school?"

"Uh…yeah," said the girl, her smile never wavering, "I have…we have science class together. I was sick this morning and he said he'd get today's assignment for me. I was feeling better and thought I'd come over and save him a trip."

That must be it. She was doubtlessly one of the numerous Sky High kids Josie had seen since Will had started attending. Truth to tell though, this was one of the few besides the winged boy Darryl who had ever come over outside of Will's circle of five friends.

"That sounds like him," said Josie, "but I'm afraid I don't know your name."

"Oh," said the girl, "just call me Kim."

"Okay Kim," said Josie, "Will's upstairs in his room doing his homework…I hope. I'll call him down and…"

"That won't be necessary," said "Kim", "I'll just go up and surprise him. Believe me, seeing me again will be a BIG surprise for him."

"Just up the stairs," said Josie, "first door on the left. You may have to knock loud if he's got one of his "Aquabats" cds on."

"Don't worry," smiled Kim, "he'll hear me."

With that the girl scampered up the stairs, and Josie went back to preparing dinner, but there was still something nagging at her about that girl. Hopefully it would come to her later.

Quiet as a cat the girl slipped up to Will's door and put her ear to it. Sure enough he had his music on, and she smiled evilly as she quietly turned the doorknob and the door opened silently.

There was Will Stronghold, sitting at his desk and doing his homework like a good boy, totally oblivious to what was going on behind him. The girl quickly scanned the room, noticing everything in it and her mind quickly came up with the best way to go about doing what she had come to do. Without a sound she entered the room, closed and locked the door, and slunk up behind the boy.

Will jumped as his music suddenly stopped and he turned to see the strange girl in his room who had turned his stereo off. He had no idea what was going on until she spoke.

"Hi Willy," smiled the girl, "long time no see."

"Who…" was all Will could say as he recognized the face of who was talking to him. He then started to move, but what he heard next stopped him.

"Uh-uh Willy," said the girl as both her hands burst into wicked looking green energy, "let's not start a fight here. After all, your mom is right downstairs and I don't think you want to disturb her, do you?"

"How did you find me Shego?" asked Will.

"Real easy," said Shego as she pulled out Will's school ID and threw it to him. "You should be more careful with that, I hear they charge a lot to replace one of those things."

Will couldn't believe his bad luck. He and the gang had stumbled onto and caught Dr. Drakken just yesterday after Shego and escaped. She had somehow found his student ID and tracked him down to his home. But apparently she didn't know the really big secret under the Stronghold's roof, and he wasn't about to let her find that out too.

"What do you want?"

"Simple cutie," said Shego as she sauntered over and sat down on his weight bench, never taking her eyes off him, "I know all about your secret with your powers, and your friends too. But I bet your big-shot parents don't know about them…super powered kids very seldom tell their non-super parents…at least me and my brothers didn't."

"Get to the point," said Will, not sure whether he should be scared or laugh about Shego's mistake about his parents not being supers and not knowing about his powers.

"You and your buddies caught Dr. Drakken when he and I were about to leave Maxville. You do what I want and we'll go back to Middleton and you'll never see or hear from us again, and your secret stays safe with me."

"But you can't go back to Middleton with him unless…"

"Dr. Drakken is getting out of jail Willy," said Shego with a cat-like smile, "and you're going to be the one to break him out."

* * *

"This is ridiculous," said Gwen as she turned off the sound to the plasma big screen monitor she had been watching. "First I finally get rid of those two idiots Lash and Speed, but before I can start building my new gang THIS happens?" 

Gwen glared at the monitor showing the live transport of Dr. Drakken from the city jail to his new place of residence at the Maxville Prison for Super Villains where he would remain while he stood trial for his attempted crimes in Maxville.

"Why is he being put in a prison for super villains…he doesn't even have any powers. He's just a mad scientist with the complexion of an under-ripe blueberry."

"Maybe the police are fond of blue," snickered Stitches, "it's a popular color with their uniforms after all."

Gwen resisted the urge to throttle Stitches for the stupid attempt at humor, and turned her attention back to the screen.

"With the heightened alert from his assistant still being on the loose I'll never be able to go around and recruit any villainesses…"

"Wasn't his assistant a female?" asked Stitches.

"Who…Drakken? Yes, she was…." Gwen's voice trailed off as the obvious hit her in the face and she grinned.

"Yes she is," Gwen smiled, "and I think she would make a great first recruit."

* * *

Dr. Drakken, once again in the orange jumpsuit of a prisoner that clashed badly with his light blue skin, could only glower and snarl at the cameras as he was being escorted to the transport prepared to take him to yet another prison. Though he had never been to this particular one before, he was sure it would be like all the others he had been in before. And like those others, he was certain it would only be a short while before he would escape and begin his schemes again. 

No one seemed to notice the sudden breeze that stirred up, even when it totally changed direction in an instant. Everyone was so focused on Dr. Drakken that it only took a literal blink of an eye before he disappeared without a trace. There was a moment of quiet as the realization sank in, then total chaos broke out as the police scrambled to start looking for him and the reporters started broadcasting what had just happened.

Drakken himself was at a loss for words as he found himself miles away from the scene, standing in an abandoned building with some overweight teenager who was grinning like a moron.

"Hey Doc," said the kid, "name's Speed and I'm a big fan of yours. So's my buddy Lash here."

On cue another teenager, a tall, lank boy with a striped black and white sweatshirt, stretched down from an open window and stood beside Speed.

"It went just like you said," Speed said as he hi-fived his friend, "the suckers had no idea what happened."

"Like taking candy from a baby," said Lash.

"Ahem," said Dr. Drakken, "just what exactly is going on here?"

"We busted you out of jail Doc," said Lash as he produced a pair of bolt cutters to remove the shackles from Drakken's wrists and ankles.

"I had guessed that much," said Drakken, "what I want to know is why.'

"Well," said Lash, "we kinda…we need jobs. We're super villains and we're kinda in between gigs right now."

"Hmm," said Drakken, his brilliant but twisted mind already awhirl at the possibilities set before him, "I see."

"Well," said Lash, not able to hide his nervousness, "are we in?"

"My boys," said Drakken as he put an arm around both Lash and Speed's shoulders, "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

Will was still in shock at Shego's plan when there was a knock on the door and Josie opened the door. 

"Hi kids," she said as she stuck her head in the door, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I just got a call on…"the phone". Will, keep an eye on dinner, it should be ready in a couple of hours and hopefully your dad and I will be back by then."

"Uh…sure Mom," said Will, scared that she might accidentally reveal her secret identity to Shego, "you go…take care of whatever. I've got everything covered here."

"Thanks tiger," smiled Josie, "and turn on the television or radio and stay in. It seems Dr. Drakken just vanished into thin air on his way to prison and the whole town's in an uproar. See you later."

Josie then closed the door and headed downstairs to step into the backyard, where she quick changed into her Jetstream costume and flew up into the sky faster than the eye could see. All the while she was completely unaware that she had been within grabbing distance of Dr. Drakken's assistant, who was still menacing her son upstairs.

Both Shego and Will stared at each other for several moments as the news sunk into them. Neither moved or even breathed as they waited for the other to make the first move. Will, being the less experienced, started to move and Shego was instantly on her feet, her hands again glowing.

"That changes a few things Willy," said Shego as she started backing towards the door, "so I guess I don't need your help after all. Too bad…I'd have loved to see the looks on everyone's faces when you broke Dr. D out of jail. But remember, I still know all about you and your friends, so how about I just leave quietly and we go our separate ways."

"How do I know you won't try to blackmail me some other time," said Will.

"You don't," smiled Shego as she unlocked and opened the door without taking her eyes off Will, "so you'll just have to trust me. Maybe I'm not such a bad girl once you get to know me."

With that she vanished out the door, and Will was across the room and to the top of the stairs as the front door opened and slammed behind her. He literally flew down the stairs and threw open the front door only to find the street deserted. Shego had vanished.

"Great," said Will to himself, "what else could go wrong?"

* * *

Shego stalked through the back alleys of Maxville, angry about how this entire fiasco had gone. First Drakken had dragged her here for his stupid plan, then they ran afoul of the Commander and Jetstream and escaped for Drakken to end up caught by Will and his friends. Though she caught a lucky break learning his identity, she didn't get the chance to blackmail him into helping her free Drakken. She still knew about Will, and could always do something with it later, but now she was angrier that someone else had broken Drakken out of jail. If he was seeing some other evil assistant behind her back… 

"Excuse me," said a menacing voice behind her, and Shego whirled around, her hands already crackling with energy. She found herself looking at a tall, armored figure that she had heard of, but never thought she would see in person as he was supposedly destroyed years ago. Then again the armor had a definitely feminine configuration, so it had to be someone else who had assumed the infamous identity.

"Who are you supposed to be," smirked Shego.

"I am exactly who I appear to be," said the raspy voice, "I am indeed Royal Pain, and you are the infamous sidekick to Dr. Drakken named Shego."

"Okay," said Shego, "now we know who each other is. So what do you want?"

"To offer you a chance to go beyond being a mere sidekick, assistant or whatever the term of the moment is. How would you like to make your own way in our…chosen field of profession…as part of an elite gathering of like-minded individuals who wish to go beyond the petty schemes too many of our compatriots waste their time with."

"And in English that means…"

"Alright, I'm gathering a team as part of a plan to take over the city and control every aspect of it…without anyone knowing who is REALLY in charge."

"Now I'm intrigued," said Shego, "but first how about we do a little something I want to do and you may find interesting."

"I'm listening."

"First, I know what Dr. Drakken's plan was, and I think maybe it could work better if someone with a little more firepower pulled it off. And second, I want revenge."

"Against who?"

"A little punk you don't know…Will Stronghold."

"Now that," said Gwen, grinning from ear to ear behind her armor's faceplate, "is actually something I can DEFINITELY agree with."

**To be continued**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sky High: The Series**

**Episode 9**

**Strange Villains From Another TV Show **

**Part 3**

"There it is," said Dr. Drakken as he hogged the binoculars. "That's where they're keeping it."

"It" was what had lured Dr. Drakken and Shego to Maxville to begin with; an experimental computer chip that could create an absolutely impenetrable defense against any and all forms of hacking or attacks by viruses no matter how advanced.

"Once I have the chip in my hands," purred Dr. Drakken, "I can modify it so that instead of being the ultimate means of defense it will infiltrate any system known. I shall have access to any data I wish…bank accounts, government secrets, even codes for weapons systems. I will use it to force the world to give in to my demands or I shall unleash utter chaos on them all."

"Ya hear that Speed," said Lash as they sat in the back of Dr. Drakken's small flying transport, "all that time sittin' around in Gwen's place while she did all this stupid plannin' was a big waste. We've only been working for Dr. D for a few hours and already he's getting' ready to take over the world."

"Cool," said Speed, "I'm glad we're already doin' something."

"I think you'll find that in this line of work there are planners and then there are doers," said Dr. Drakken, "and sometimes it's better to just make things up as you go along. It's always worked for me."

It was then that an explosion shook the building, creating a large hole in the wall on the second story. A lithe figure in green and black leapt out of the hole, wearing a backpack of some kind.

"What the…?" said Drakken as he focused his binoculars on the figure. His stomach sank as he recognized the figure, which ran across the courtyard, dodging all sorts of laser fire. She then leapt into a strange flying transport that took off like a shot, but not before Drakken noticed the strange symbol on the ship; the silhouette of a crowned head.

"Shego," growled Dr. Drakken, "what is she doing here? I swear if she's seeing some other evil mastermind behind my back…"

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay," Layla asked for possibly the hundredth time since Will had called her and told her that Shego had infiltrated his home and tried to blackmail him into freeing Dr. Drakken from custody until word came that he had already escaped. Now she was sitting in his living room, watching him pace back and forth. 

"Yeah," said Will, "I just can't believe what's happened in the past couple of days. I guess I shouldn't be glad about Dr, Drakken getting away, but I am because now I don't have to break him out of jail. But Shego still knows my secret and that makes me vulnerable to her trying to blackmail me whenever she wants. And if she finds out who my parents are…"

Will's worries were interrupted by the automatic activation of the television in the front room, which his mother had programmed to turn on instantly in the event of news of a disaster or major crime taking place.

"…on the scene where the notorious villainess Shego has stolen a prototype computer chip being developed here at Maxville Labs. While the researchers are remaining quiet, a statement is expected from the facilities' head scientist Myron Medulla…"

"Oh great," moaned Will, "it sure didn't take her long to start committing crimes again. Why didn't I grab her when I had the chance?"

"Because then she'd expose you to the world, and that would in turn reveal who your parents were even if she didn't figure it out herself," said Layla.

"I've got to stop her," said Will. "This was all my fault to begin with. If I'd just stayed away from the stupid area when my parents were looking for Drakken and Shego they probably would have caught them and none of this would be happening."

"Well," said a voice behind Will he knew all too well, "that explains a few things."

Will felt his stomach drop into his socks as he slowly turned to find his mother standing behind him, her arms crossed as she looked at him over the top of her glasses.

"Will," she said, "maybe you'd better tell me exactly what is going on, and why your "friend" Kim just robbed Maxville Labs."

* * *

"Excellent," said Royal Pain as she examined the chip Shego had brought her, "this little beauty will make my plan run so much smoother." 

"And just what is this great plan of yours," said Shego as she took the sparkling cider Stitches offered her on a tray he was carrying. "So far you've only told me to get the chip and nothing else. You're not going to be just making this up as you go along, are you?"

"Oh no," said Royal Pain as she carefully removed the chip from the examining table and gently placed it in a special case to protect it. "Don't confuse me with that baby blue malcontent you used to work for, Shego. I have been carefully orchestrating a plot to take over Maxville with no one being the wiser, and that little chip will be my insurance that no one will be able to circumvent the means to do that."

"That's all nice," said Shego as she sipped the cider, "but how does that put any cash in my pocket or get me revenge on Willie."

Behind her featureless mask Gwen smiled at the demeaning way Shego referred to their common enemy Will Stronghold. Though Gwen's motives for wanting revenge on Will were more personal, she could appreciate the way Shego's eyes seemed to light up whenever she talked about him.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," said Royal Pain, "and patience is the only virtue I suffer from. So in other words relax and know we shall get what we desire once I finish recruiting a few more members into our little sisterhood."

"Great," grumbled Shego, "all you masterminds are the same. Wait, wait, and wait. Why can't you just be spontaneous and go smash a good guy just for the fun of it?"

Gwen could understand Shego's feelings, and she would dearly love to see Will beaten and humiliated as well. But she was not going to be premature and reveal her hand that she was back to her old villainous ways after getting out of jail like she had. Her entire plan was grounded in not drawing attention to herself in any way…at least until it was too late for the good guys.

"Sorry," said Royal Pain, "but if you really feel the need for some exercise, I can give you a little help with that. It seems Will has a certain love interest…a little redhead who he threw…someone I know…over for."

"Yeah," said Shego, "I know her. She was with him when I fought him in the alley."

"Well, you could always go out and have a little fun at her expense…and his as well."

Shego grinned evilly at the suggestion.

* * *

"Who does that little minx think she is?" stormed Drakken as he had a temper tantrum in his latest lair, which was the typical abandoned warehouse somewhere on the waterfront. 

"How could she do this to me? I've treated her like my own daughter…well, maybe a step daughter or an adopted daughter…anyway…what was I saying?"

"You were mad about Shego working for another villain," chimed in Speed before Lash could stop him. Lash could only roll his eyes as he saw the evil scientist building up to another tirade.

"Yes…. another villain," hissed Dr. Drakken as his eyes narrowed menacingly. "I must find out who this is and teach them not to interfere in the plans of their betters…including stealing sidekicks."

"Shego's a sidekick?" said Speed. "She's sure a lot better than Stitches is. No wonder Gwen got her to work for her after she fired us."

Lash smacked himself in the forehead as Speed had just let slip something he had definitely not wanted Dr. Drakken to know. They had recognized the symbol on the escape vehicle Shego had used as that of Royal Pain, their former boss, but Lash had not wanted Drakken to find that out.

"Who," said Drakken as he glared at Speed, "is this…Gwen?"

* * *

Will slumped down onto the sofa beside Layla, totally spent after telling his mother about everything that had happened. He could only hope now that when she killed him, she'd do it quickly. 

Josie took off her glasses, took a deep breath and looked at her son. How could anyone, even with super powers, get himself in such a mess at such a young age? Now she had a good idea what it must have been like for her own parents when she had first manifested her power to fly, which she didn't really have very good control of and would occasionally start floating up into the air involuntarily at the worst possible moments.

"Will," she finally said, unable to stop from smiling, "you did a very dangerous thing going into that area, especially taking Layla and the others with you. But you've also been very brave and smart trying to make up for your mistake, and I'm proud of you. And I want you to know that you don't have to hide anything from your father and I, no matter how scared or embarrassed you may be. We're your parents, and we'll always stand behind you."

Will looked up at his mother and smiled. Though he still felt bad, he also felt better.

"Now then," said Josie, "how are we going to deal with that little minx?"

* * *

A couple of hours later, a green and black figure moved swiftly through the neighborhood, making use of all the trees, hedges and parked cars to cover her movements. She finally came back to the house she knew well, the home of Will Stronghold. 

Shego smiled to herself as she thought about what she could do to torture him…well, besides kidnapping his girlfriend, who she had learned from Royal Pain could control plants and that explained the incident with the attacking thorn vines back in the alley. Now that she knew what this "Layla" could do, Shego was confident she could handle her this time. A quick little nerve pinch and she'd be out like a light to be easily carried off and placed in a traditional "damsel in distress" death trap. But since Royal Pain had forbidden her to bring Layla back to her lair and she had no idea where Dr. Drakken was hiding out, Shego would have to innovate something for such a trap.

But if there was one thing Shego was good at, it was innovation.

She snuck past Will's house and came to the house next door, where Layla lived. Shego decided to case the place first and see if there was a way she could ambush Layla before she could make use of her plant powers. She was making her way around the side of the house towards the back when she heard voices on the other side of the fence and recognized them as Will and Layla's. Finding a convenient knothole, she peeked through to see the two sitting on the grass in the backyard, probably babbling about the stuff teenagers in love babble about. Shego had to stifle a wave of nausea at the sight of the sugarcoated sweetness of the scene, but she knew the best way to get Layla was to do it right under Will's nose. Her fists began glowing green as she prepared to leap over the fence.

* * *

Gwen had shed her armor after Shego left, and was wearing a simple pink t-shirt and jeans as she sat at the workbench, continuing to examine the chip. She was certain she could replicate it with her power to control technology, but she wanted to make sure she had everything memorized to perfection. Once she could, her full plan could finally begin to unfold, with or without minions. 

"Beautiful," she said out loud to herself, "this is exquisite work."

"It is indeed," said a voice behind Gwen, making her jump in surprise and whirl around to find herself on the receiving end of a very nasty looking blaster.

"It is indeed beautiful," said Dr. Drakken with a wicked grin as he pointed the blaster at Gwen, "and I want to thank you for saving me the trouble of stealing it myself. Well, from the rightful owners, anyway."

"Drakken," hissed Gwen, her eyes narrowing as her mind raced to come up with a way out of this mess, "how did you get in here? How did you even find this place?"

"Both of those are excellent questions," said Dr. Drakken, "and both have the same answer. Come on out boys."

Gwen was again surprised, and then became angrier than ever to see Lash and Speed come out of the shadows to join Dr. Drakken.

* * *

Shego leapt over the fence, landing catlike on her feet to find herself facing off with Will and Layla. She had the element of surprise and made the most of it by blasting Will with an energy bolt and sending him flying. She then leapt at Layla…and got soundly slammed into the ground and pinned there by the huge apple tree Layla and Will had been sitting under. She was stunned by the impact, and her hands quit glowing. She glared up at the green dressed girl who stood there with a smug smile on her face as Will floated over and stood beside her. Shego tried to struggle free, but she couldn't move at all. 

"So you caught me," said Shego, "big deal. I'm just going to blab your secret to the world…or at least the tabloid that will pay the most. Soon you two will be on every supermarket newsstand in the country."

"I don't think so," said a deep voice Shego knew all too well. She tried to turn her head and saw a huge muscular young man in a mask and costume that resembled her own, except it was blue in color.

"Long time no see, little sister," said Hego.

* * *

"You two dared betray me?" snarled Gwen. 

"Hey, just lookin' out for ourselves," said Lash, though he said it while standing behind Dr. Drakken. "We got hired by somebody who appreciates us more."

"Yeah," said Speed, "and at least he has a plan for world domination instead of just messing around in a stupid lab all the time."

"I had a plan too, you morons," said Gwen, "and the reason I couldn't get things in motion was because I was always having to waste resources cleaning up after you two."

"Enough of this," said Drakken, "it's time we made our exit boys. But just to make sure no one follows us…"

Before anyone else could move, Drakken fired his weapon at Gwen.

* * *

"Oh, so the two of you thought my big brother could reason with me," laughed Shego as she glared at Will and Layla. "Good luck with that. I quit listening to the big doofus long ago." 

"Maybe because I wasn't talking to you the right way," said Hego as he knelt down next to his trapped sister and pulled something from his utility belt.

"You promise to never reveal what you know about these two and their friends, or they won't be the only ones in the newspapers."

With that Hego showed Shego something that made her eyes nearly bug out in sheer terror.

"You wouldn't," she said, "I'm still your sister…you never threatened to use that even when I went rogue. Why now?"

"Simple," said Hego as he stood up, "I'm not goin to use it. I'm going to give it to Will here as insurance that you keep your word. So what do you say?"

"Alright," growled Shego, trying to regain her composure, "I won't say anything to anybody about Willy and his little girlfriend here. Now let me up."

In an instant the tree lifted itself off Shego, who climbed to her feet and brushed the leaves and twigs out of her hair.

"Fine," she said, "I just want to get out of this lousy town."

"You're not leaving that easily," said Hego.

"Oooo," said Shego, "what, you going to arrest me big brother? You haven't got the nerve."

"I'm not the one doing it," said Hego as he pointed behind Shego, who turned around and found herself staring into the eyes of the Commander and Jetstream.

"Great," muttered Shego, who realized there was no way she was going to escape what with Will and Layla there much less two of the greatest super heroes on earth right there, even if Hego didn't lift a finger. Without another word she held her hands up and Jetstream slapped a pair of power dampening handcuffs on her.

"I swear," muttered Shego, "I get my hands on Drakken for getting me into this mess, I'll beat him black AND blue."

* * *

Before Gwen realized it, a paralyzer beam that held her motionless struck her. She could only mentally curse as she saw Drakken start towards the exit, holding his prize. 

"That doesn't hurt, does it?" asked Speed with real concern in his voice.

"Of course not," consoled Drakken, "but she'll really tingly when it wears off in about an hour. So will you."

Drakken then zapped Speed, stopping him place and wheeled around to face a startled Lash.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Lash nearly shrieked. "We freed you from jail and told you where you could find the chip. You double crossed us!"

"Hello," said Drakken, "I'm a super villain."

Lash stretched out of the way of the first blast and kept dodging until Drakken remembered he didn't have to hit the main body for the beam to work and zapped Lash in the foot. Lash was frozen in a very uncomfortable looking pose of stretched out limbs all coiled around in different directions.

"Hmmm," mused Dr. Drakken, "if that ray lasted longer I could probably sell you as modern art. Oh well, bye bye everyone, it's been a real blast…ray blast that is."

Laughing maniacally, Dr. Drakken left the lair and three young villains with something to think about.

* * *

After the Commander and Jetstream took Shego away, Hego turned to Will. 

"That was a good idea you had to call me Will," said Hego as he shook Will's hand. "Say, that's quite a grip you've got there. Maybe when you get a little older we can go have a weight lifting competition; I don't have anyone my own age to work out with, and your dad and Mr. Incredible are kind of out of my weight class."

"Yeah," said Will, "that would be cool. But wait, how did you know my dad's the Commander but Shego didn't?"

"Actually she used to," grinned Hego as he showed Will and Layla what he had shown to Shego; a small metallic device that looked like a marker with a little light on top.

"It's a memory wiper/replacer I used on her when I first ran into her a while back after she went bad. It doesn't affect personal memories about things like family and such, but stuff dealing with non-core importance is wiped away. All she'll eventually remember is she came to Maxville with Dr. Drakken to steal something, they got separated and the Commander and Jetstream captured her. The reason she won't say anything about you before that happens is she thinks I've given you a picture of her when she was dressed up for her play in junior high. It was REALLY embarrassing."

"But what about Dr. Drakken," said Layla, "do you know how he escaped and where he is?"

"I'm afraid I don't," said Hego, "but I can help your parents look for him Will, as long as you promise to stay here with your friend and not go looking for him on your own."

"Don't worry about that," grinned Will, "I learned my lesson the first time. Come on Layla, you can help me get dinner ready for everybody."

* * *

"Mine, all mine," cackled Dr. Drakken as he held the chip in one hand while steering his flying car. "I should send those two stooges a nice fruit basket for being so helpful in getting me out of jail and handing the chip over to me…after I take over the world, of course." 

Dr. Drakken was so caught up in his triumph that he failed to duck. Actually he failed to see the flock of ducks coming towards him until it was too late and the lead duck cleared the windshield and smacked Drakken in the face, knocking him unconscious and sending his flyer into a tailspin. Thankfully for the evil scientist the airbag deployed on impact as it crashed into a barn full of hay, so he wasn't hurt as he came to and found himself surrounded by a SWAT team, who had been called by the panicked farmer's wife. Seeing all those high tech weapons aimed at him paled in comparison to the terror he felt as he opened his hand and found the chip crushed into several small, useless pieces. All Dr. Drakken could do was pout as he was loaded into the back of the transport, on his way back to jail.

* * *

Drakken had been right about one thing; Gwen indeed felt tingly all over as the paralysis wore off. Able to move again, she started rubbing her arms and legs to remove the sensation of bugs crawling all over her as she approached the still frozen forms of Lash and Speed. Her mind was racing with all kinds of ideas of what to do to them, but then something else occurred to her. She approached Speed as he was again able to move, and she actually started rubbing his shoulders for him. Once Lash began wiggling she also rubbed his stretched out arms so the blood flow would return and they could assume their normal shape. 

There were a few minutes of awkward silence before Lash finally spoke.

"Gwen," he said, swallowing his macho pride, "we're sorry we told Drakken about you and helped him get the chip. We were just so mad after you fired us like that. We thought we were friends…"

"We ARE friends," smiled Gwen, realizing she did mean it. "I shouldn't have lost it like that, it's just that I've been so busy trying to get the groundwork laid for my plan and I kept getting distracted…"

"You really forgive us," said Speed with big puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I forgive you," said Gwen as she hugged each of the boys in turn. "You were just trying to better yourselves, and took the opportunity as it presented itself. Besides, I didn't realize how much I'd miss you until you were gone."

"Really?" said Speed.

"Of course," smiled Gwen as she pinched his cheek, "now why don't you two go back to your old rooms…just don't mess up the place so badly, okay?"

Lash and Speed sauntered off, with Lash whispering to Speed how he knew all along how Gwen would react.

Once they were gone, Gwen opened the secret compartment on the examining table where she had hidden the real computer chip moments before she had been forced to hand over her first attempt at duplicating it. She smiled to herself and realized that she really wasn't mad at Lash and Speed, because they had bumbled into a way for both Dr. Drakken and the authorities to think that the real chip was destroyed, so no one would know it was safe and sound in her hands.

"I should fire those two more often" she said, "At this rate the city would be mine within a year."

**The End**


End file.
